Parties in Texas
Whereas many states allow candidates to have political party designation, the candidates in Texas are not allowed to have such labels on the ballot. As of 2019, the officially recognized political parties in Texas include the Republican, Democratic, Green, and Libertarian parties (Jordan, Webb, and Wood, 2014). These parties have distinctive features and priorities for their members that differentiate them from each other. The Green party is an independent political party under the American Social Movement and the fourth largest in the US. It prioritizes peace, Ecological wisdom such as climatic change, land use, energy, transportation, and water, among others. Similarly, social justice focuses on civil and equal rights, welfare, education, healthcare, and housing. Other areas of priority include grassroots democracy on issues like communication, freedom of speech, foreign policy, and political reforms, and economic justice.
The Democratic party of Texas has its headquarters in Austin, and it rose to prominence in 1873 when the Democratic candidates won the majority seat. The platform of the party from 2016 to 2018 is composed of 17 issues. It is based on democracy, and the members believe in free, fair, and transparent elections. Democracy also calls for the protection of the constitutional right of voting at all costs by the officials that exhibit resume public service (Jordan, Webb, and Wood, 2014). The democrats believe that a world-class education system is a necessity for the state’s economy and morality, and every child should be allowed to proceed through the provision of proper education. The party provides that the hard-working citizens of Texas have the right to opportunities and lucrative jobs; hence the party works at developing an economy that benefits not only the wealthy but all people.
On healthcare, Texas Democrats believe that it is a fundamental right for all citizens to receive and have access to affordable treatment. They also have a strong belief that climatic change in Texas poses a significant threat to crop and leads to heatwaves, tolerant storms, drought, and extreme climatic conditions. They thus focus on conservation of the environment through the use of clean energy like electricity and solar. Criminal justice is a common issue evident by the increased number of people incarcerated in Texas than Other states (Jordan, Webb, and Wood, 2014). The democrats recognize the nation’s immigrants and value outsiders in Texas. Family security is a crucial issue, and the party ensures that every parent provides proper housing, nutrition, healthcare, and clothing. Other key values of the party include fiscal responsibility, rural Texas and agriculture, women’s rights, veterans’ affairs, transportation, LGBTQ, religious freedom, and foreign policy.
The republican party of Texas is the second largest after Democrats and is chaired by James Dickey. In 2017, the republican held officers in majority chambers of Texas legislative and governor’s office. The party members also held offices in the state and seats in the congressional delegation. The party platform is composed of five key issues. They are devoted to preserving American freedom through the support of the historical concepts, establishment of the founders of the nation, and limited jurisdiction under the laws of God (Jones, 2018). The party aims at strengthening families, celebrating traditional marriages, promoting health, and protection of life. Education to the citizens of Texas is a priority through parental involvement and protection of their rights. The party insists on the president and Congress to defend the leadership, state sovereignty, and foreign policy.
The republican party of Texas is governed by a specific set of rules and bylaws, which gives structure to the levels of the organization. The laws provide the process to be followed in nominating the delegates that will be sent to the convention during the presidential election. The Texas Republican party rules are thus summarized to be used by the members. First, the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) is considered as the authoritative body of the party, which oversees activities in the state and set policy priorities (Jones, 2018). The SREC is required to meet four times a year in addition to other special meetings and have seven standing committees.
Libertarian Party is the third-largest in Texas after democratic and republican. Whereas all other parties are formed based on laws, the Libertarian party is a platform, and they oppose government interference in the family, personal, and business decisions. The party was formed by David Nolan in 1971 and has held 202 electoral offices. Under the personal liberty issue, the party requires self-ownership, freedom of expression and communication, individual privacy, the sensitivity of abortion, protection of parental rights, intimate relationship, and self-defense (Fiest, 2019). Economic liberty of the party entails respect of property and contract, environmental and energy conservation, government financing and spending, licensing, market place freedom, education, healthcare, and retirement and income security. The liberty to security covers national defense, free trade and migration, international affairs, individual rights, and self-determination.